Washing machine



April 29, 1924. 1,492,033

J. s. :HERBERT WASHIANGI'MACHINE Filed Oct. 21. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 29 J. S. HERBERT WASHING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fld Oct. 2l 1922 O l Z/V VE/VrO/e,

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Patented Apr. 29, 1F24..

narran stars are .TOEN S. HERBERT, OF LO'S ANGELES,`CALEFORN1A.

' ,wasnrnc macnrnn.

appl'man@y med october 21, 1922. ysensi No. 595,890.

To all whom it may coacem:

Be it known that l, JOHN S.` HERBERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful improvements in Nashingll/lachinee, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to washing machines of the power driventype, the principal objects of my invention being to provide a washing machiney that is of relatively simple structure, capable of being easily and cheaply produced and which may be operated with comparatively little cost.

Further objects of my invention are, to provide a washing machine wherein the clothes or contentsy of theV machine are thoroughly washed with a minimum loss of energy from the power required to operate the machine, further to provide a machine wherein the clothes to be washed are always maintained beneath the surface of the wash waterl and forced thereagainst as the clothes container rocks or swings to and fro with a cradle-like motion; further, to; provide a construction wherein the cradle or clothes container may be easily and quickly elevated so as to lift thev clothes entirely out of the wash water so that they may adequately drain .before being passed through the wringer; further to provide simple and efcient driving means for the washing machine and the wringer that is associated therewith, and further, to provide simple means for eifectively heating the wash water used in the tank or tub of the ma chine. v v 4 With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts that will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is atop plan view of my improved washing machine with partsbroken away and in section. t

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the machine.

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view ofthe machine, with the cradle or clothes container in elevated position..

Fig. `a is a fragmentary end elevational view, showing a part of the driving'mechanism. Y

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail section of a.

locking device that is eective in retaining the clothes container in elevated position.

Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5. t

Fig. 7 is vertical section taken lengthwise through the center of the cradle or clothes container.

Fig. 8 is a cross section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings Awhich illustrate a practicalY embodiment of my invention, 10 designates a tank or tub of sheet metal, that is adapted to contain the wash water and said tankk being supported in a suitable frame-work that includes four corner posts 11, a front panel 12, rear panel 13 and end panels 1li.

'lhe tank 10 and water contained therein may be heated in any suitable manner, preferably, by two or more gas or oil burners ysuch Aas l5.

Secured to and projecting upwardly from the left hand end panel 14 is a wringer 16, of the type usually employed in household laundry operations. l

The rear panel 13 is divided lengthwise to form two parts, the upper one of which is connected by hinges 17 to the lower part and secured to the upper edge of the upper. part is the rear end of a lid or cover 18 thatk is adapted to entirely close to top of tub or tank 10.

When this lid or cover is closed it may be secured in such position by suitable latches 19 that are arranged on the upper portion of front panel 12.

Suspended for swinging movement from lid or cover 18, by means of substantially U-shaped hangers 20 is a cradle orclothes receptacle 21 preferably formed of sheet metal and having end walls 22 formed of wire screen. The front of this cradle is provided with a hinged or'bodily removable door or panel 23, which, when open, permits the clothes to be readily placed within or removed from the cradle.

Depending from the top of the cradle is a series of transversely disposed ribs or bars 24 having rounded lower edges 25, and formed in each rib is a series of apertures 26.

Projecting upwardly from the bottomV of the cradle is a series of transversely disposed ribs or bars 27 that are substantially inverted V-shaped in cross section.

The ribs 24 and 27 co-operate to hold the clothes in the central portion of the chamber within the cradle and to rub against secured ontop of the left hand portion ofy the machine frame and which occupies the same horizontal plane Vwith, lid or cover 18 when the latter is closed,

vSecured to shaft 32 within thegear box 33 lis a pinion 35 that meshes with a pinion V36 that is journaleol` within said gear, box and the `toothed edge ofv said pinion overlies the inner edge of the panel 34.

Y Arranged on the lefthand portion of lid or cover 18 is a gear box 37 'that encloses a pinion 38, which latter meshes with pinion 36. Pinion38 is secured to 'the upper end of a shaft 39 thatis journaled in cover 18 and ,fixed tothe lower end of said shaft is a short crank 40; l

Pivotally connected to crank 40 is one'end of a pitman 41, the opposite end thereof Y being connected to a wrist pin 42 that projects upward from the top of cradle 21.

Shaft 32 extends upward into a yhousing 43 that encloses suitable gearing that may be controlled to connect said shaft to a wringer operating shaft 44.

Hinged to the upper edge and rightY hand end of the upper part of panel 13 is the rear end of a' panelk 45 that normally lies along the right hand edge of the machine frame in the same horizontal plane with the cover 18 when the latter is closed and the front end'of said panel 45 is bevelled on its under side as designated by 46. This bevelled edge normally rests on a corresponding bevelled edge 47 that is formed on the upper edgeY of the right hand end of front panel 12. "i j Y Pivotally connected. to the forward' portion of panel 45 is the upper end kof a rod 48, the lower end of which is pivotally connected to a pedal lever 49, therear end of which Vis pivotallyV connected to the lrear. lower portion of the machine frame. l

rIfhe front end ofthis lever terminates in afoot plate 50.V

Hinged to the intermediate portion of panel 45 is the upper end of a link 51, the lower end thereof being hinged to the in-y termediate portion of the front, right hand one of the posts 11.

A portionof the underside of panel k45 near itsrear, end and inner edge isA cut away to form a recess 52 and' pivotally mounted the front end of which isadaptedto bear against a shoulder `54 thaty is formed onthe upper Vend of the adjacent corner post 11 when, the lid or cover18 is swung upward to lift the cradle from the tub or tank as shown in Fig. 3 (see Fig. 5).

The operation of my improved washing machine is as'follows:

Motor 28 drives shaft 29r and through worm 301 and pinion 31', shaftr 32is driven."

Pinion 35 on shaft 32`transmits motion to shaft 39' vthrough pinionsy 36 and 38 and through crank -40 and pitman 41, the cradle 21 is rocked to and fro within tub vor tank 10. Y j

The wash waterv within the tank isgheated and maintained in heated condition by heat from the lighted burners 15. As the cradle is thus rocked the clothes therein will be Yconstantly agitatedV and moved to and fro through the wash water while wholly submerged therein and during such action the clothes will to a certain extent engage with rubbing action againsty Vthe ribs or rails 24 and 27 .Y As a resultof this` rocking movement' of the clothes beneath the surface of the water, said clothes will, within a relatively short period offtime, be verythoroughly cleansed. L ,l

To lift the cradleV so as to permit the clothes to drain andV to'enablef them to be readily Vremoved without necessitating the ward as a result of the rearward swingingV movement of the upper end ofr link 51.

As theser movements continue, the upper partof Vpanel 13 to which the rear end of panel .45 is hingedwill swing rearwardlyV and downwardly, thereby 'swinging the front edgeof top or cover 18 upwardly and'rearwardly to the position shown in Fig. 3, and

consequently lifting the cradle and clothes therein above the surface Lof the water in tank 10. c Y

iFront coverv 23 may now'rbe removed so vas to give ready access to the washed clothes in the cradle and as soon as said clothes have drained and cooled, they may be removed and passed between the rolls of wringer 16 and which latter is driven from the motor through shaft 44. v s V When, the coverand cradle,y are elevated as just described they will be retainedv in such position` .by` gravity latch 53, for, as

panel 45fmoves to its rearward limit of'inove-y ment, the 'frontend of said latch will ride over and drop behind shoulder 54, thereby retaining the parts in elevated position.r The incense latch may be lifted from its locking osition by pulling u ward upon a pin 53 t at projects upwar ly from the forward portion of said latch.

The apertures 26 in the rails or ribs 24 permits the upper strata of water to surge to and fro through the upper portion of the cradle while the latter is in motion, thereby materially increasing the speed or rapidity with whichA the clothes are washed.

A washing machine of my improved con! struction is comparatively simple in structure, may be easily and cheap-ly produced, requires relatively little power in its operation, accomplishes its work in very little time due to the fact that during the cleansing operation, all of the clothes are wholly submerged beneath the surface of the wash water, and the cradle or clothes container may be very easily and quickly elevated, to permit the washed clothes to drain and to be readily removed and delivered to the conveniently located wringer.

@bviously the details of construction of my improved washing machine may be slightly changed or modified without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.V

I claim as my invention:

1. In a washing machine, a container for wash water, a hinged cover therefor, and a clothes receptacle suspended for swinging movement from said hinged cover.

2. In a washing machine, a container for wash water, a hinged cover therefor, a cradle suspended for swinging movement from said cover, said cradle having reticulated end walls and clothes engaging members within said cradle on the top and bottom thereof.

d. In a washin machine, a container for Vwash water, a hinged cover for said container, a clothes receptacle suspended from said cover for swinging movement within said container and pedally actuated means for swinging said cover upwardly to lift said receptacle from said container.

5. In a washing machine, a container for wash water, a hinged cover for said container, a clothes receptacle suspended from said cover for swinging movement within said container, means for swinging said hinged cover upwardly to lift said receptacle from said container and means for holding said cover in raised position.

6. in a washing machine, a container for wash water, a hinged cover therefor, a cradle suspended from said cover for swinging movement within said container and said cradle having reticulated end walls.

ln testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN S. HERBERT. 

